almost unknown in England; and into this party all the indifferentists from other sects, who do not choose, for political motives, to join the establishment, naturally fall. The establishment itself furnishes a supply by the falling off of those of its members, who, in the progress of inquiry, discover that the church of England is neither one thing nor the other; that in matters of religion all must rest upon faith, or upon reasou; and have unhappily preferred the sandy foundation of human wit. Crede ut intelligas, noli intelligere ut credas, is the wise precept of St. Augustine; but these heretics have discarded the fathers as well as the saints! These become Socinians; and though many of them do not stop here in the career of unbelief, they still frequent the meetinghouses, and are numbered among the sect. With these all the hydra brood of Arianism and Pelagianism, and all the anti-calvinist Dissenters have united; each preserving its own peculiar tenets, but all agreeing in their abhorrence of Calvinism, their love of unbounded freedom of opinion, and in consequence their hostility to any church establishment. All, however, by this union, and still more by the medley of doctrines which are preached as the pulpit happens to be filled by a minister of one persuasion or the other, are insensibly modified and assimilated to each other; and this assimilation will probably become complete, as the older members, who were more rigidly trained in the orthodoxy of heterodoxy, drop off. A body will remain respect able for riches, numbers, erudition and talents, but without zeal and without generosity; and they will fall asunder at no very remote period, because they do not afford their ministers stipends suf ficient for the decencies of life. The church must be kept together by a golden chain; and this, which is typically true of the true church, is literally applicable to every false one. These sectarians call themselves the enlightened part of the Dissenters; but the children of Mammon are wiser in their generation than such children of light. From this party, therefore, the church of England has nothing to fear, though of late years its hostility has been erringly directed against them. They are rather its allies than its enemies, an advanced guard who have pitched their camp upon the very frontiers of infidelity, and exert themselves in combating the unbelievers on one hand, and the Calvinists on the other. They have the fate of Servetus for their warning, which the followers of Calvin justify, and are ready to make their precedent. Should these sworn foes to the establishment succeed in overthrowing it, a burnt-offering of anti-trinitarians would be the first illumination for the victory. 12. Little left of Magna Charta. The grave of king John is here, [Worcester] a monarch remarkable in English history for having signed the Great Charter, resigned his crown to the pope's legate, and offered to turn Mohammedan if the Miramolin would assist him against his subjects. As there were some doubts whether the grave which was commonly supposed to be his was really so, it was opened two or three years ago, and the tradition verified. It appeared that it had been opened before for other motives; for some of the bones were displaced, and the more valuable parts of his dress missing. As this was at the time when the revolutionary disposition of the people had occasioned some acts of unusual rigour on the part of government, it was remarked in one of the newspapers, that if king John had taken the opportunity to walk abroad and observe how things were going on, it must have given him great satisfaction to see how little was left of that Magna Charta, which he had signed so sorely' against his will. men among them. In their church the idea that the great mass of the Christian world can be in an error respecting any doctrine of revealed religion would not be attended to: in such a case, say they, God would not always have been with his church, a notion they regard as subversive of the whole system of Christianity; they therefore consider their antiquity and their extensive dissemination as marks of their being in possession of the only true Christian doctrine. As to the Protestants they bear a small proportion to the popu lation of France, and publish little or nothing in defence of their peculiar tenets. The literary and political writers of the country either look upon the Christian religion as a system of opinions falling gradually away, or as a political machine to be taken up so far as useful or necessary to the governors. The church is here a sort of caput mortuum: the vital principle has long since taken its flight, but as it has a sort of prescription of fourteen or fifteen centuries, it goes on because no other system is prepollent enough to destroy it. The cause of Protestantism was lost in France by the desertion of Henry IV. and by the persecutions of Louis XIV. and I see no probability of its revival. Few persons support energetically any system in this country. It is true in the large towns there is commonly one Protestant church; at Nismes and at Montauban, there are more than one, but the zeal is lukewarm. The Protestants seem on all occasions afraid of exposing the paucity of their numbers: their pulpit eloquence is displayed in enforcing the admirable morality of the gospel, and very seldom is it you hear among them a sermon on any particular dogma. Their ministers are far from avowing any sentiment you would look upon as genuine Christianity: the articles of the church of Geneva still bind them, though they are practically softened down to something like Arminianism: but no one of their ministers would I suppose publicly call in question the doctrine of the Trinity, or of the atonement: and several would mildly plead in their defence. The Crypto-Arians and Socinians would shelter themselves under some equivocal scriptural expressions, which the greater part of the audience would interpret in nearly an orthodox sense, while a chosen few might perhaps associate with that phraseology a more latitudinarian meaning. If you are at all acquainted with the French Church in ThreadneedleStreet, you may have a tolerable idea of the Protestant theology of this country. IN SIR, Norwich, May 1, 1817. N the year 1581, many Catholics were imprisoned by Queen Elizabeth, "for refusing to conform themselves to that order of religion," which was then "public in this realme of England." The Queen, after she had made sure of the bodies of these men, resolved to bestow some care upon their souls. Two clergymen of the Church of England were accordingly dispatched to the Marshalsea and the other prisons in Loudon, "to confer with them." One of them, (Robert Crowley,) states that "after some conference had with certain that were close prisoners, we came to one Maister Thomas Pownde, gentleman, in the lodging where he then lay : and finding him unwilling to enter into any conference by speeches, be-cause (as he said) he feared to fall into danger of law thereby." Crowley then vindicates the goodness and clemency of Her Majesty, and reminds "Maister Pownde" that "if she would proceed against them in rigour of law, and not in mercy, she might cut their heads from their shoulders, and make no more to do with them; but being desirous that they might become obedient subjects to her, as she sheweth herself a loving prince to them, she had provided, that by conference with such as be learned, they might be either drawn from their errors, or else found to be obstinate and wilfully blind. none of these speeches could move Maister Pownde to like of any conference by speeches. Yet, he said, he was ready to confer by writing. Whereunto I answered, that we had no commission to deal that way, but yet if he would write, I promised to answer him in writing. Upon this, he pulled a pamphlet out of his But bosom, and called in such as he thought meet to hear it read. And after he had read it, he delivered it to me to be answered." After Crowley had finished his answer, he published it, (together with Pownde's pamphlet) under the following title: "An Aunswer to Sixe Reasons, that Thomas Pownde, Gentleman, and prisoner in the Marshalsey at the commaundement of Her Majesties commissioners, for causes ecclesiasticale, required to be aunswered. Because these reasons do move him to think, that controversies and doubts in religion may not be judged by the Scriptures, but that the Scriptures must be judged by the Catholique Church. 1st, For that the Scriptures are mute and dum. 2nd, For that they be full of harde and deepe mysteries. 3rd, For that St. Peter sayth, No Scripture is to be taken after any private interpretation. 4th, For that to appeale to the Scriptures, dooth seeme to denie all unwritten verities. 5th, For that it were a great absurditie, not to have a certaine judge of absolute authoritie, in the interpreting of Scriptures, &c. 6th, For that in refusing the authoritie of the churches absolute judgement herein, we seem to denie the Holie Ghost to be the spirite of trueth. Written by Robert Crowley, London, 1581." So much for the history of this tract. There is nothing worth extracting under the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd heads, but I think the 4th will amuse some of your readers. "The 4th reason, (says Pownde) is, because by appealing only to the Scriptures, you seem to give men liberty to deny all unwritten verities, which we have received of the church, either by express definition in general council, or but by tradition. And I believe at my first naming of unwritten verities, Maister Crowley and his fellows will laugh straitway, as though all such were but fables. But to temper their folly (I will not say their pride) a little in that point, I ask them all this question-How they prove the trinity of persons in the unity of substance in Godhead by the express Scriptures? Or the two distinct natures in Christ, and but one person or God the Father to be Ingenitus-or the proceeding of the Holy Ghost, both from the Father and from the Son, as from one fountain or the descending of Christ into hell, by plain words of Scriptureor the custom of baptizing infants, seeing the Scripture rather soundeth as though they should be first taught their faith, before they were baptized, saying-" Go and teach_all nations, baptizing them," &c.? Yea, and why not may any heretic deny all our three creeds: both the Apostles' Creed, the Nicene Creed as it is called, and the Creed of St. Athanasius, seeing never a one of these is written in Scripture expressly, but all left us upon credit of the church? Mark you not how these Bedlam Scripture men would shake all the foundations of our faith, by binding us to believe nothing but Scripture. Do not these blind guides, think you, lead us a trim dance toward infidelity?" Crowley thus undertakes to prove "the trinity of persons in the unity of substance in Godhead, by the express Scriptures." "The Prophet David hath written thus: Ps. cx. The Lord said to my Lord, sit thou at my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool. The Lord shall send out of Zion the sceptre of thy power: bear thou rule in the midst amongst his enemies.' The Lord.' That is God the Father. 'Said to my Lord.' That is God the Son. Here we have two distincted persons, the Father and the Sou. And in the second verse he saith, The Lord shall send out of Zion the sceptre of thy power,' which is the word of the gospel: and this sceptre was sent out of Zion, by the Holy Ghost, in the feast of Pentecost. So that here we have the third person, and consequently three distinct persons." Whether Crowley's reasoning wrought any conviction in Pownde's mind, I have no means of ascertaining; but I think many of the modern defenders of Trinitarianism must have felt the truth of Pownde's prediction, and that "these Bedlam Scripture men have shaken all the foundations of the orthodox faith, by binding us to believe nothing but Scripture." EDWARD TAYLOR. I SIR, Clapton, June 8, 1817. HAVE expected to see in your pages some biographical notices of the late Mr. Joyce, which, I trust, may yet be communicated. In the mean time give me leave to indulge my recollection of his valuable acquaintance, by bearing a willing, yet faithful testimony to his character and conduct on some points of no inconsiderable consequence. Thirty years have nearly, if not quite, elapsed since our first acquaintance, while he was a theological student. In 1792, I joined him as a member of the Society for Constitutional Information, in connexion with which, as is well known, he suffered a political prosecution. Yet treachery, though bribed to make discoveries, could not, after all, substantiate any criminality. In that society there were persons, justly distinguished by talents and political sagacity, who made no pretensions to a religious character. With these Mr. Joyce zealously cooperated to promote the useful objects of the present life without losing himself, even in such fascinating company, as if he had no other life to expect. For this conduct he was rewarded, besides his own peaceful reflections, by the respect with which his political associates always regarded him. He has, indeed, left an edifying example to professors of religion, yet in the vigour and activity of life, whom eventful times may call out to arduous and political duties. They will learn, from his experience, that respect and influence are not likely to be forfeited, but rather acquired, by maintaining, in every situation, an unobtrusive, yet consistent Christian deportment. There was another point of conduct on which I had frequent occasions to know that Mr. Joyce was exemplary. I mean his regard to the wants and sufferings of those who became the victims of ministerial vengeance at the period to which I have referred. Not to mention living characters or to repeat my acknowledgements for his attentions to Mr. Palmer and his associates, I will instance the case of Mr. Holt. He had been a bookseller at Newark, and was convicted of re-publishing a declaration, sanctioned by Mr. Pitt, while he professed to be a Political Reformer. To remove him far was imprisoned in Newgate, where I visited him in 1797. He then appeared to be suffering under consumptive symptoms, and in a place most unsuitable to such a patient. He died, as might have been expected, soon after his return to his family. I am ashamed to recollect that the case of that interesting, unassuming man was, at first, in danger of being unaccountably overlooked, and it was in no small degree owing to the interference of Mr. Joyce, whom Mr. Holt gratefully mentions, in a letter now before me, that, at last, he was not neglected. I could recount, with much satisfaction, my friend's endeavours, especially in an official capacity, to promote those views of religion which he regarded as Christian truth; also the various and valuable objects of moral and intellectual improvement to which he applied his habits of literary industry. These, however, are too well known, and such as others can better appreciate. I have here designed, with the advantage of near observation, and as one of the small and rapidly decreasing number of his early associates, to describe the consistency of his character and conduct as a Christian, laudably engaging in the active duties of political life. SIR, J.T. RUTT. 85, Basinghall-street, June 16, 1817. the Memoir of Mr. Vidler, in your BSERVING in the last part of Number for April last, [p. 196,] a misstatement of the stipend received by him from the Congregation of Parliament Court, I beg you will, in your next, insert the following correction, which I have extracted from my account, for the seven years commencing in 1808, during which time, being the acting treasurer, all the money passed through my hands. From my accounts it appears that Mr. Vidler received In 1808, £133 10 6 1809, 78 7 6 from the kind offices of his friends, he Total in these 7 years 623 10 6 which averages, for that period, 891. per annum, which is very different from the statement in the Memoir, a difference which, I have not the least suspicion, arose from wilful misrepresentation in the compiler of the Memoir, but from his not knowing where to apply for better information on that subject. I am particularly solicitous that this correction should be noticed for two reasons; first, for the sake of truth; and, second, that it may take away some of the disgrace that attaches to our congregation from the former statement. Employments of noble and mean Men. Heylyn relates the story, in his Examen Historicum, of a nobleman, in Henry the Eighth's time, who told Mr. Pace, one of the king's secretaries, in contempt of learning, That it was enough for noblemen's sons to wind their horn and carry their hawk fair and leave learning to the study of mean men. whom Mr. Pace replied, Then you and other noblemen must be content that your children may wind their horns and keep their hawks, whilst the children of mean men do manage matters of state. No. CCCV. Το Pope's Epigram on Dr. Freind. Dr. Freind, the head master of Westminster School, was a celebrated writer of Latin epitaphs; which yet Mr. Pope, who was as great a composer of epitaphs in English verse, and could not well bear a rival in any way, thought too prolix and too flattering, if Dr. Freind be really intended, as he was generally supposed to be intended in the following epigram: Friend, for your epitaphs I'm griev'd, No. CCCVI. An Apostle to the Pope. Rome, Jan. 3, 1743.-We have had a strange mad fellow amongst us, one George Hutchinson, a weaver ortaylor, by trade, who lately came from Ireland, by God's command, as he says, to convert the Pope. Though a Presbyterian by profession, he went constantly to the Protestant chapel here: but all the arguments that were used could not convince him of the vanity of his undertaking, and persuade him to return to his family, which he has left starving at home. He asserted, that the Pope was the Whore of Babylon, and that her worshippers, if they did not repent, would be destroyed within a year. He preached mightily against statues, pictures, umbrellas, bag-wigs, and hoop-petticoats; so that I came under his censure; and he advised me, very earnestly, not to follow a business that promoted idolatry. This prophet having made a great disturbance at St. Peter's, when his holiness came to give the benediction, has been seized, by his orders and sent out of sight. No. CCCVII. St. Winifred, Called also Boniface, Archbishop of Mentz and Cologne, was born at Crediton, in Devon, A. D. 670. After becoming a monk, acquiring great regreat exertions in disseminating the putation as a learned man, and making Christianity of the times, he was advanced, by Pope Gregory III., to the archbishoprick of Mentz in 732. He took great pains to convert the inhabitants of Freezland, and though he had no inconsiderable success, yet, in that country, he was at length killed in a tumultuous attack, A. D. 754, in the eighty-fourth year of his age. Fifty-four of his companions and attendants are said to have perished with their bishop. While he was thus employed upon the continent, he appears not to have been unconcerned for the spiritual welfare of his own country. For the better promoting the faith at home, he wrote a letter to Ethalbald, King of Mercia, which had such an effect, that the Scriptures were read in the Monasteries, and the Lord's Prayer und the Creed, in the English tongue. |